Apocalyptos
Apocalyptos—known for the vast majority of his life as The Sith Emperor and feared as the Apex Predator—was a Dark Lord of the Sith who reconstituted and reformed the Sith Empire after its destruction millennia ago, becoming the Celestial Emperor of the True Sith Empire. He was born in 954,930 BBY as a Celestial, a primordial and extremely powerful entity. The Celestials, also known as the Architects, were an ancient civilization who were present long before the dawn of the galactic community and even the Rakatan Infinite Empire. Believed to be responsible for a number of large artifacts and anomalous planetary formations and species placements throughout the galaxy, what little was known of the Celestials came from xenoarchaeology. It was theorized by both the Jedi and the Sith alike that the balance between the light and dark sides of the Force was actually under the guidance of the Celestials. Apocalyptos, back then known as Rhen Xar was the adoptive son of Kolon and Messalinna, two extremely powerful Celestials who were among the Celestial Ruling Council. The child who would be known as Apocalyptos later in life would abandon his father, and seek the tutelage of Byss, a renowned Celestial scribe. He would be taught the ways of the force and would later on train many under his tutelage. He later on then would preserve his body on the planet Rhen Xar, later known as Rhen Var, in which millenniums later, he would be discovered by the True Sith Empire, and would rule on from that day. Apocalyptos would remain the Celestial Emperor of the True Sith Empire, ruling from behind the shadows for many years, notably creating a Sith Triumvirate by merging the forces of the Reborn Sith Order, the Reborn Imperials and even the Vindictive into his empire in 16 ABY. However, following the Eternal War, Apocalyptos began to act less as the Emperor and remained in the shadows for far too long up until 23 ABY, when those who were once his followers sought to overthrow him. Apocalyptos then decided to abandon his empire after they turned on him, Kaevos becoming the new Sith Emperor, and in return tried to bring back the Celestial Empire, only to be thwarted by Ancharus, who took away his might and exiled him on Rhen Var. Biography Early Life An Apparition in the Galaxy Millions of years ago, Rhen Xar was born as a member of a primordial, brain-like race known as the Celestials, in the Galactic Center, where he was formed. The Celestials, also known as the Architects, were an ancient civilization who were present long before the dawn of the galactic community and even the Rakatan Infinite Empire. Believed to be responsible for a number of large artifacts and anomalous planetary formations and species placements throughout the galaxy, what little was known of the Celestials came from xenoarchaeology. It was theorized by both the Jedi and the Sith alike that the balance between the light and dark sides of the Force was actually under the guidance of the Celestials. He dwelled in loneliness for years, until he discovered his ability to manipulate matter and constructed a protective shell around himself. Over the course of many years, he kept building layers over the shell which evolved into a planet itself. After this, he began to wonder about the purpose of his existence. To find purpose and meaning, Rhen Xar decided to create an humanoid avatar, which was an extension of his consciousness. He then transferred his essence into his humanoid avatar, then later joining the rest of the Celestial Community. He was adopted by the Celestial Ruling Council and was taken under the care of Kolon and Messalinna, two very important members of the council. Rhen's eyes were said to be as crimson as blood, and acted like the void of space, and even as an infant he showed no emotion, nor did he ever cry. When he walked, the surface that he stepped on would start to deform and wither. Animals avoided him, and his voice seemed to carry power and weight beyond his years. Since an unknown age, Rhen began to manifest signs of strength in the Force, which raised suspicions in the Celestial Ruling Council, as they didn't recognize the sheer power Rhen held in him. However, they brushed that off as a side note, as they were currently working on Centerpoint Station with the Killiks, an insectoid intelligent species. Murder of his adoptive parents Rhen's adoptive father, Kolon confronted his wife in front of a young Rhen, and he proceeded to attack her in anger after she admitted to having destroyed a Celestial Project that was in progress, Xandar III. However, Rhen, being disillusioned with his adoptive father, fed off the man's anger to fuel his own strength in the dark side, and he used his newfound powers to telekinetically cut open the Celestial's core, destroying it. Rhen then brought his adoptive mother, Messalina to the Galactic Center, where she was sucked by the black hole, and began to subjugate Celestial slaves with his powers. Over the course of the next four years, Rhen's influence and reputation grew as he conquered neighboring planets and raised legions of followers. Some followed the Celestial out of fear of his immense power, while others served out of fanatical loyalty. Given this loyalty, Rhen gave himself the title of "The Predator". The Celestial Ruling Council heard rumors of Rhen's activities, but because they occurred on the planet Kolon, which was now an empty shell after the death of Kolon—and also due to the fact that they have forgotten about the involvement of Kolon and Messalinna in the council—the council believed that the events were of no concern to them. When Rhen grew towards his adolescence, the council decided to investigate the rumors of the boy's activities and determine whether he should be killed or become one of the many slaves the Celestials enslaved. However, the Council underestimated the boy's true power, and were defeated by Rhen. After the battle, Rhen took over control of the Council, and executed whom he pleased. He then conquered a planet with a snowy, frozen, and frigid environment, in which he named it after himself, then built his own palace there. Tutelage under Byss After his conquest of Rhen Xar (Which would later be known as Rhen Var), Rhen traveled towards the Deep Core, seeking out the Celestial, Byss. After a long time searching, he eventually encountered the planet of the same name, Byss. His reasons for meeting Byss was because he wanted to learn more about his newfound abilities. Byss initially declined Rhen's request, but once Rhen managed to prevent an asteroid from hitting the planet, Byss accepted Rhen's request and started training Rhen for decades to come. Byss would later on influence many followers of Rhen to join them under their tutelage, and they trained many young Celestials at the time. One notable apprentice was Alderaan, an aspiring young Celestial, who inhabited the planet of the same name. Another notable apprentice was Illiyoch Andarr, a human male who was searching for tutelage in the ways of the force, in which he would grow into a powerful bodyguard of the Celestials. Celestial-Rakata War Centuries later, the Rakatan slaves of the Celestial Empire were growing in multiple numbers. The Council, suspicious of the Rakatans, enlisted Rhen, Byss, and Alderaan to investigate this matter. The Celestials arrived on Lehon, the Homeworld of the Rakata, only to see the Rakatan slaves revolting and a terrible battle that ensued. By this time, the Rakatans have formed their own empire: The Infinite Empire. The Rakatan Species have declared and made war on their benefactors, the Kwa, who had taught the Rakata how to use the Force, when the Kwa refused to give the Rakata their Infinity Gate technology. Using the dark side of the Force and the technology that the Kwa gave them, the Rakata forged an Infinite Empire based on conquest and enslavement of Force-rich worlds, and they sought to use Infinity Gate technology to travel instantaneously between worlds. The Kwa fought back against the Rakata on the Rakata homeworld of Lehon, holding the Rakata off until several of their number could destroy the Infinity Gate on Lehon, though many Kwa died in the process. Following the battle, the Kwa destroyed or disabled most of the remaining gates across the galaxy and retreated to their homeworld of Dathomir, though some Kwa like A'nang remained behind on worlds such as Tython. Meanwhile, Rhen, Byss, and Alderaan left the planet and reported this incident to the council. Face off on Nonovaas Hearing the news, the Council gathered their strongest forces to fight off against the Rakata on Nonovaas. Rhen was a commander in the Celestial Army, in which he fought with to fight the Rakatans. However, the Rakatans would however use the dark side of the Force against the Celestials, ultimately turning some insane and against their commanders. While the face off was happening, the Rakatans would head to the Unknown Regions and destroy multiple planets with the dark side, destroying the Celestial Cores that were inside them. Whilst the battle ensued, Rhen and some Celestial Warriors confronted the Predor of the Infinite Empire at their camp on Nonovaas, at the Throne of Power. Although Rhen and his warriors put up a good fight, the Predor proven to be powerful, killing the warriors, sending back to the Ruling Council's chambers on Centerpoint Station. The outcome of the battle ended up with the Rakatans defeating a majority of the Celestial Navy, making the Celestials prepare for a final strike. Preservation of his body on Rhen Xar Many months later, Rhen was at his palace on Rhen Xar. He was meeting up with his master Byss and a member of the council, Troeezen. They were on Rhen Xar to discuss plans to defeat the Rakatans. However, he was interrupted by the Rakatans attacking the planet. Troeezen and Byss was able to fend off and kill several Rakatans, but Troeezen fell to several Rakatan warriors. Byss was able to leave the planet, and preserved his body on his planet, Byss, where he would be in an eternal sleep. However, Rhen was able to fight the Predor once again, but this time, being scarred and beaten. After the Predor was able to nearly kill Rhen, he had one option left, which was to use his full extent of dark side powers, destroying the Predor, and ravaging the planet, killing many Rakatans. However, being beaten up and fatally scarred, he preserved his body inside a sarcophagus, patiently awaiting the day when the Rakatans would be defeated forevermore. The Old Republic While Rhen was in his tomb, the planet Rhen Xar would be renamed "Rhen Var". After the Great Sith War in 3986 BBY, former Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma sought refuge on Rhen Var, and there trained Vima Sunrider. He ultimately found peace in the snowy wastes, and was redeemed and then was later murdered by Hoggon. During his stay he found a cave where the rare Solari crystal grew, of which was located near where he taught Sunrider. Later, Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan and a large Republic army battled Darth Mekhis and a force of Sith during the last months of the Great Galactic War. During the rule of the Eternal Empire of Zakuul, a knight of Zakuul known as Tai Makatorium decided to seek refuge on Rhen Var. There he would accidentally find the body of Rhen, in which he would record it and present the information to Valkorion, the Eternal Emperor, but Valkorion would dismiss it, as no one has ever seen the body until now. Age of the Empire Re-Discovery and Recovery During the rule of the Galactic Empire, a hidden Sith Empire, known as the True Sith Empire sent imperial intelligence and investigators onto the planet of Rhen Var, after finding records of the Eternal Empire's findings of the "Beast", which was actually Rhen. Attempting to find the body of Rhen, they eventually found it after many months of searching, in a cave on Rhen Var, however, once they touched the tomb, the non-force sensitives were instantly killed, but the force sensitives of the investigators took the body to Dromund Kaas. Awakening Many months later, Imperial Intelligence discovered that the body had slightly moved, and they decided to investigate more. However, many hours later, the body started to wake up, frightening the two investigators examining Rhen. The celestial would be confused at first, but once he knew his surroundings, he choked the investigators to death, and exited the cell he was kept in, only to see a corrupt government run by a cowardly fool, known as Darth Thanta. Thanta was the Dark Lord of the Sith that time, and was considered, even among his subjects as corrupt and cowardly, not following the Sith ways. Rhen would be disgusted by this action, and secretly rallied the Sith and manipulating them to go against Thanta. Life under the True Sith Rhen would go under the name of Apocalyptos, deeming the name Rhen as a painful reminder of his defeat and old past. He drove the people of the Empire further into a panic while simultaneously offering them hope. Whilst giving propaganda about Thanta, the "Hidden Emperor", promised to lead the Sith to salvation and safety from Thanta, and he soon led a hidden rebellion to fight against Thanta. Many years later, the True Sith Emperor, Thanta wanted to make a deal with the Galactic Empire, signing a treaty and unifying both factions to go against the Rebel Alliance. However, Palpatine would decline this treaty, instead declaring war against the True Sith by sending Stormtroopers to kill the Emperor. Several Sith would join in the fight, but ultimately, Thanta would kill them all, and then meet the Sith Lord Darth Ectral on Kaas Bridge. A terrible fight would ensue between them, whilst Apocalyptos watched the battle. Thanta would be pushed back and attacked by his own followers under Apocalyptos's command, whilst Ectral would continue dueling. Thanta would then thrown off his throne, and killed by his own apprentice and Dark Council member, Darth Xion. Xion would then proclaim Apocalyptos as Emperor, and Apocalyptos would take the throne, and disposing of Thanta's body. Emperor of the True Sith Rebuilding the Empire The people, who had come to see the Emperor as a kind of god, fervently agreed and set to work on re-building their Empire. At first, the Emperor appeared in public often and dictated much of the Empire's policies and actions, but over time he began to appear less and less. He then reformed the Dark Council—a group of twelve Sith Lords who served as the primary ruling body of the Empire—and the council soon began to take over much of the day-to-day running of the Empire. The Emperor himself retreated into seclusion in the Imperial Citadel situated in the heart of Kaas City. One of his first actions was to select twelve Force-sensitive Sith to become his Hand: twelve Servants who shared their master's longevity in exchange for allowing him to draw on their strength in order to sustain his powers. The Hand's leader, Darth Acira, was the first to be bound to the Emperor, while her constant companion Darth Kohl gained prophetic powers through a close connection to the Emperor's mind at the expense of his own sanity. The shadowy organization was known only to a few members of the Dark Council throughout the centuries, as they operated from obscurity to fulfill their master's will. The Emperor spent that time studying even further into the mysteries of the Force, unlocking powerful secrets of the dark side. In the early years of his rule, the Emperor ordered the expansion of the edifice known as the Dark Temple on the outskirts of Kaas City. An ancient structure that contained the tombs of Sith Lords of old, such as Darth Kronos and Darth Xelos, the founder of the Sith Remnant, the Temple was originally intended as a burial place for the Emperor's enemies, but the Emperor performed powerful dark side rituals to steal the knowledge and life essences of his enemies in the structure's depths and transformed the area into a nexus of dark Force energy. The Emperor also maintained chambers within the Sith Sanctum, the headquarters of the Sith Order in the Imperial Citadel, though only the Dark Council and the Emperor's personal guard were allowed into the lower levels of the Sanctum. The Dark Honor Guard, as those elite warriors who served the Emperor were called, were a group of Force-sensitives who served the Emperor with fanatic loyalty and unmatched combat prowess. Trained in academies on dark side worlds, each member of the Guard was brought before the Emperor himself and bound to his will, making their loyalty absolute. Moreover, the Guard answered only to the Emperor—the Dark Council had no control over the group's activities, despite the Guard's roles as protectors of the Sith Sanctum. Once the Empire reclaimed the Sith Academy on Korriban over a thousand years later, the Guard also took on the role of guardians for the Academy. An elite version of this, the Shadow Guard, were a select group of the Dark Honor Guard who excelled in their training. Few Imperials knew the true origins of the mysterious and powerful Shadow Guard. They were silent and enigmatic warriors that received orders directly from Apocalyptos himself and were often sent to eliminate suspected Jedi and other Force users. When necessary they would also be put under the supervision of the Emperor's Wrath, Darth Ajax. These guardsmen demonstrated Force powers of their own which led many to suspect that they were in fact former Jedi that had been captured, tortured and brainwashed by the Emperor, but this was a rumor that was never to be proven. This cadre was actually an elite special operations unit within the Dark Honor Guard. Around 4 ABY, a Sith known as Darth Celtis began to preach Jedi sentiments of peace and serenity while also utilizing the dark side, but the Emperor personally killed the heretic and sealed his spirit in the Dark Temple—a fate that befell many of the Emperor's enemies. Another Sith Lord named Darth Vonyang attempted to challenge the Emperor's rule less than a year after the Emperor's Rule begun. However, Vongyang plans never advanced beyond the planet Nolan Tarr, and when the mad Sith died, the Emperor declared Nolan Tarr forbidden. Several centuries into the Emperor's reign, a Dark Councilor named Darth Vanadius summoned his fellow Council members to a secret meeting in the midst of a violent storm. With an army of loyal Sith outside of the meeting ready to kill any Dark Councilor who refused, Vanadius described a plot to overthrow the Emperor and lead the Empire into war against the Republic once more—a plot that all Councilors, but two, agreed to join. However, the Emperor learned of the Council's conspiracy and allowed their plans to unfold, but when the twelve ascended the steps of the Citadel to confront him the Emperor delivered his punishment. Vanadius' nine co-conspirators died in a flash of light on the Citadel steps, and Vanadius disappeared forever into the bowels of the structure as the Emperor tortured and then finally killed him. After the incident with Vanadius, The Emperor picked his best and most loyal followers to become the reinstated Dark Council. This new Dark Council consisted of thirteen members, with the Emperor's Voice, Darth Gremdehl as leader, and Darth Kihlon as de facto ''leader. The Emperor also made a system for a group of chosen Sith known as Sith Ravagers. They were made to be the Emperor's Personal Assassins and Commanders of Capital Ships in the Empire. The ''Harvester ''was commanded by a Sith Ravager by the name of Darth Colchis, and under his supervision, it was renovated and reconstructed to be one of the most formidable ships in the empire. Stealing the Havoc Saber ''To be continued... Category:Characters Category:Antagonists Category:Main antagonists Category:Force-sensitives Category:Celestials Category:Sith Category:True Sith members Category:Monarchs Category:Sorcerers Category:Marked